August 7, 2013 Day twenty-nine

Grand Tetons National Park

We woke up early enough to see the sun peaking over the mountains behind us, to see the sun on the Teton Mountains.  Wow!  Then, following breakfast at our campsite we were treated to a herd of bison going back and forth across the road just a short distance from our campground.  We stopped, along with a dozen other cars and watched them for more than half an hour.  What a sight! It was like a nature special but in real life, especially when the big bulls pawed the ground and then slammed their heads together. We watched many other bulls just eating and then one stirred up the ground and then rolled in the dust cloud.

The females watched carefully over their calves who sometimes nursed but more often engaged in play. Small groups deciding when they should brave the road to cross, while the bulls crossed whenever they left like it. Safely in or near our car, we were struck by not only being able to see them, but also to hear their grunts and bellows, and to see the dust go flying when the rolled in the dirt.  Best wildlife show in town!

Then after a few errands, we were off to go on a scenic river raft trip on the Snake River.  Patti picked out a company called the Lewis and Clark River Expeditions, because.... well we LIKE Lewis and Clark and so why not?  And these folks had gotten good recommendations on Trip Advisor.  It turned out to be a good family owned company and we joined six others on our raft, with one other raft on this trip.  We got very personalized attention, and really enjoyed our young guide, Claire.  She had graduated college a year ago and was totally enjoying the adventure of living the life of a river guide.

On the trip on the river was just south of the National Park.  For much of the trip we could look back and see the mountains, now framed with the Snake River.  The scenery was so lovely for our whole trip.

We were watching carefully for wildlife.  The highlight was seeing a dozen Bald eagles, sitting on various trees watching the river.  They were magnificent.  We also saw some osprey, ducks, and beaver lodges.  The folks on the raft were fun and we all really enjoyed ourselves. Our guides set up a nice table for lunch on the beach.  A couple of celebrity brushes with fame included a large chunk of the land we floated by was own by Harrison Ford, and we also went by a house owned by Sandra Bullock.  No glimpse of either of them unfortunately.  It would have been nice to have them wave to us. 

We had such a fun time on the river.  Floating at over 6 mph meant we were always seeing something new, especially with each bend of the river.  When the trip was finished, we were happy and not too sunburned.

We left town having had a great visit in the Tetons, and vowing to return sometime soon.  We had an easy drive into Idaho, stopping in Idaho Falls and settled in for a welcomed shower (after four nights of camping), and had the chance to hook up with the Internet and download some photos for our blog.

“Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience.”

Francis Bacon